


Spending Time Together Is The Best Gift Of All

by nightyn628



Category: Iron Fist (TV)
Genre: Birthday, Brotherly Bonding, Gen, Post-Episode: s02e10 A Duel of Iron, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-01
Updated: 2020-04-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:26:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23425480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nightyn628/pseuds/nightyn628
Summary: "I'm still confused, Ward. You never give a shit about cake or any sweets. So. Why?" Danny said while put his bag on one of the beds. He took off his cheap cap and raised his eyebrow at Ward questioningly."Yeah. I never give a shit about those sweets but somehow I kinda give a shit about you. It's your birthday anyway. Let's celebrate like normal people and throw away your self-doubt for like 10 minutes OK? Is that too much for you?"
Relationships: Ward Meachum & Danny Rand
Comments: 1
Kudos: 7





	Spending Time Together Is The Best Gift Of All

**Author's Note:**

> English is not my first language. Please feel free to comment and correct my grammatical errors, misspelling vocabularies and all of the weird things in this work. Thank You.

The weather was extremely hot. Hot enough to fry an egg on the pavement or cook it on the road. This reminded Danny Rand of his first time in New York walking around with his bare feet and it scared him a little bit. What if he walked like that, bare feet, here, on a random pavement in Bangkok? Ah. No. The answer was horrible. He didn’t want to think about it ever again.

That was it. Summer in Thailand could be cruel to anyone.

Danny took off his dark green cap for a quick sweat wiping before put it back at the same place. Beside him was Ward Meachum eagerly drinking his water from his new plastic bottle. Danny didn’t know how many bottles of water his unrelated big brother drank. They never counted. When some convenience stores appeared on their eyesight, Ward never skipped them once. They bought many drinks from all of the stores they passed by. Shared all of them as they should. If they couldn’t find their hotel, Ward would strike the next 7/11 store they found. Definitely.

Danny looked at his phone and then made groaning noise with a relieved sigh. According to Google Maps, they nearly reached their destination. Normally a route checking was Ward's responsibility but surrounded by a high temperature like this? Ward couldn’t focus on his work perfectly. Actually, he didn’t want to do anything except drinking and swearing so the older man passed on the baton to the younger one. Danny Rand.

"It's hot as hell!! No wonder Thai people have that water throwing festival. If some dudes throw a bucket of water to me or use some fucking water pistols right now I swear I will tell them to repeat their actions again!"

The heat undoubtedly did their damn job. After finishing his drinking, Ward cursed in his angry voice while Danny just laughed at his brother softly. Fondly.

"Come on! Ward! The Google lady told me we nearly reach our destination! Just suck it up!" The Blondie said while gave Ward a little pat on his shoulder to encourage him. That was helpful. Ward still swore under his breath but at least his long legs moved forward due to Danny's words.

"Fine! Let's keep walking then."

On the same page, they continued their little journey on the pavement. Danny looked at the screen, his blue eyes filled with optimism, and then the billionaire turned his head to look at the buildings on their right side. He was trying to search for a 4-star hotel they booked in Hokkaido.

Looking around and stopping Ward from striking the convenience store again, finally, Danny noticed something.

"Hey Ward! Look! That's the hotel we booked!"

"Fucking finally!"

What a relief! Ward sighed while followed his gaze to a tall building pointed by Danny. Both of them accelerated their speed especially Ward. They hurried up their steps like those desert survivors who found the oasis first time.

With a strong fuel like hope that fulfilled their heart and propelled their feet, they quickly arrived at the hotel with a pool of sweat. Ward ran to a front desk lady for checking in while Danny just embraced a cool breeze from the A/C.

"Hey! Let's go"

Ward shouted while showed him a key in his right hand. Danny joined his brother and declined to let an energetic bellboy put his bag on a hotel cart. Well, it was reasonable since the twin handguns they stole from a warehouse in Jakarta still kept securely in that bag.

"It's OK. Let him keep his thing." Ward said in a polite tone while handed his baggage to a bellboy. Then the two CEOs of Rand enterprise followed the bellboy along with a shiny cart into the elevator. The only Thai guy in this narrow space pushed his finger on a number button; therefore, the metal door slowly closed. They were going up to the 15th floor directly.

An automatic door opened itself after the ding sound. Three of them continued to walk to the booked room. A cart and a crimson carpet made a little soothing noise when the wheels rolled on a ‘not too hard but not too soft’ surface. Danny liked this sound so he allowed his mind to follow it. A bellboy still cheerful while trying to talk to them in his Thailish accent but Ward was the only one who paid attention while Danny somehow managed to drown in his own head.

Normally Danny was the one who loved to talk to locals but sometimes he just said nothing and let Ward handled the situation. There were many things on his mind, such as confusion, conflict, and pain, they entered him since he was a little child and continued to torture him. They never let him free. At least he knew how to cope with them when he lived in K'un-Lun. He coped with them by intending to claim the Iron Fist. The training calmed his chaotic mind, distracted him from the pain and helped him deal with the greatest loss in his life. But when he achieved the goal and became the real Iron Fist, the training couldn't help him anymore. He left his duty as the Iron Fist far behind, went back to his homeworld and faced everything that too much for him. Old faces, new faces, happiness, love, hate, loss, guilt and self-doubt.

Many things.

Especially the last one.

It destroyed a clear state of his mind. He lost his confidence and doubted himself at everything. It sounded like he drowned in the sea. Surrounded by the darkness with an empty heart. Could he become the man his people deserve? Could he be worthy of the Iron Fist? Absolutely not. All of that needed a big responsibility, not a weak mind like him. That was a reason why he needed to find his identity, his place, and his true path in this world. Not a bike path or a forest path as Ward said. A true path. His true path.

He really needed to know what he stood for.

That was the reason he tried so hard to track down a mysterious guy named Orson Randall. From Hong Kong to Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta to Hokkaido, then here, Bangkok. Not so sure that he and Ward could find that Randall guy but they had to try their best. What if they failed? Well, At least he could spend most of his time with his brother. So, it was not a waste of time. Instead, it was something he deeply wanted.

"Hey, Mek told me they have a cafe on the 2nd floor but I think we should get some rest first and try their sweets later. I heard they baked a great chocolate cake too. Isn’t it your favorite one when you are an annoying child?" Suddenly Ward pulled him back to Earth with the word 'CAKE' coming from his mouth. Oh. That was new. According to Danny's experience, Ward wasn’t a sweet tooth. Maybe Thai summer could cause a problem worse than Danny expected.

"Ward? Are you OK?? Is that a side effect of heatstroke?? What is a heatstroke anyway but whatever it is should I call 911 now? Oh wait, in Thailand they are 191 right? Hmm but your temperature seems to be normal I'm so confused--"

"Shut up Danny! I'm fine! Calm down and let me go! I have to give that poor guy a big tip. He's so scared of you right now."

Danny blinked for a few moments but finally released his hands from Ward's wrist and forehead. He took a few steps back while Ward opened his wallet and gave a large tip to a bellboy.

"Thank you sir. By the way if you need an ambulance I suggest you call 1669. You can call 191 too, they can contact the ambulance but 1669 is a quicker way. A more direct way to get help if you ask me."

"Oh." Ward smiled politely. "I will keep that in mind. Thank you, Mek."

"Thank you!" Danny said sincerely. They wait until a lively bellboy left the room so the personal conversation could continue again.

"I'm still confused, Ward. You never give a shit about cake or any sweets. So. Why?" Danny said while put his bag on one of the beds. He took off his cheap cap and raised his eyebrow at Ward questioningly.

"Yeah. I never give a shit about those sweets but somehow I kinda give a shit about you. It's your birthday anyway. Let's celebrate like normal people and throw away your self-doubt for like 10 minutes OK? Is that too much for you?"

Danny's face was so hilarious. It was April 1st. His birthday. He literally forgot his own birthday but Ward, of all people in his life, was the one to remind him of his important day. Well, He thought it would be Colleen or Luke calling and wishing him from New York, Time Zone surely did change things. His mind was whirling. The fact that a non-sweet tooth like Ward Meachum remembered his favorite cake and wanted to try some sweets with him on his birthday still gave Danny a big surprise.

From Danny's point of view, Ward always cared for his sister and his brother in his own way, but something like this was far beyond his expectation. Ward released a deep and long-drawn sigh when he saw a shocked expression on Danny’s face. A taller guy lay down on a bed that supposed to be his. His little brother was always like this. Idiot. But he was his idiot. Ward knew that but always kept telling himself not to speak it out loud especially the second part.

"Why can't you remember your birthday? If I knew it, I would shut my mouth and let the day pass with no cake or any sweets invading into my life."

"Hey! Don't be an asshole, Ward." A big smile appeared on Danny’s cute face, but his right hand said another thing. Danny threw his pillow at the older guy. It landed on Ward's face perfectly as a soft punishment from the younger brother. Ward cursed under his breath and threw it back. He was so annoyed when Danny caught it beautifully.

"Seriously, if you don't want to try them, I won’t force you to do that for me. I get it. Sweets are not your thing." Danny said with a gentle tone in his voice. Ward sighed. In spite of the bickering or a disagreement they had, they always took care of each other in their unique ways. Ward just wanted Danny to enjoy his birthday and Danny didn’t want Ward to do something against his mind.

"And let you celebrate your fucking birthday alone? Come on! That sucks. It's 15 years we lost, so, this time let's celebrate it together. I don't wanna miss it again and again." Ward stared at the white ceiling for a long time while he spoke his thought out loud. That ceiling had nothing interesting but he still looked at it. Just too embarrassed to look at his younger brother when he tried to say something heartwarming. It was out of his character and Ward couldn’t stand that side of himself.

Danny gave his brother a big smile. The warmth from Ward's words went through his chest and spread over his mind. He felt warm and he liked this warm feeling so much. It was different from Chi warmth. The Chi one was something steady. Warm and steady. But a warmth from bonding with someone he cares fulfilled his whole heart. Flooded him with love. It was more like a pleasure, not peace. Pretty sure it was not the same warmth as Chi but Danny enjoyed them both.

"But, I gotta admit that I have no idea about your gift. So, just tell me what you want and I will buy it for you."

A sweet smile on Danny's face still there. That ex-bully from his childhood did change a lot.

"Well, somehow you did give me the most precious gift since you agreed to join my Asia trip, you know that?"

It was not an exaggerating answer, it was a simple fact. Ward didn't need to follow him for months or tracked down a random guy across countries but he did it anyway, thanks to that 'Maybe you'd be running towards yourself' on their private jet, and Danny appreciated it.

"Look at you! Being an idiot again!"

"Nah. I'm not an idiot. Just a sincere person you know?" Danny said with a teasing tone. "And this sincere brother kinda want some sweets now. Let's go."

"Now? Sure, sure. Whatever."

Ward checked his phone and his wallet to make sure that he never leave them in their room while they tried some nice cakes in the cafe. He put a key in his pocket and followed Danny out of the room. They had some random conversations about a chocolate cake and a good souvenir for their friends in New York. Danny already bought some stuff for Colleen, Joy, Misty, as well as Claire when he was in Hokkaido. So he was thinking about his vigilante friends. Ward suggested some traditional Thai alcohols for Jessica since she had a reputation for her love of alcohol. He also talked about some Thai boxing shorts for the other guys. Danny wasn’t sure about Luke but Matt might be interested in them.

Then the topic changed.

"What about you?" Ward asked when they arrived in front of the elevator. His voice always sounded like he didn’t give a fuck yet sometimes he did care. 

"You talk too much about your friend's gift but what about your birthday gift?"

"You really want to know huh?" Danny sighed while pushed an elevator button. "To be honest, I still have no idea... Oh! How about you promise to binge-watching SpongeBob with me when we're back in New York?"

"SpongeBob? Seriously? Is that something you want?" Ward said rolling his eyes. Danny just smiled and nodded simply.

"To catch up on a pop culture with my brother? Yeah. I kinda love that idea."

"Sure. Sure. It's your birthday anyway. I promise to watch it with you. Ugh. It still the most stupid idea for a birthday gift though."

The younger one laughed softly and showed his brother a pinky finger. "You can't take back what you said. You know that?" Danny said with a wide grin.

"Oh. Fuck you." Ward responded with his middle finger and a gentle smile that people rarely seen. The same elevator ding sound was coming back. Danny beamed with pleasure while they walked into that narrow space together. They hadn’t reached the cafe or tried some sweets yet but Danny already knew that his birthday was going to be great for sure.

.........

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not good with a birthday gift but at least I share the same personality trait as Ward Meachum here. Wow. I don't know how to feel about this. For me, Ward is the kind of guy who will give you a lot of money on your birthday and tell you to pay for anything you want with the money he gave. Musta admit it’s a good choice of gift if you don't know what to buy but at the same time it's cold as hell. TBH, when I wrote this work I really had no idea what gift(s) I (and Ward) should give to Danny and I ended up giving him some sweets from a random cafe and a promise of binge-watching all seasons of SpongeBob together when they're back at home in New York. Anyway, thanks for reading this work :) I hope you guys enjoy it.


End file.
